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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: suit · last · mark · leaves · pound · saw · rock · bat

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. rock — music
  3. suit — in cards
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. last — finally
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. saw — the tool
  9. suit — clothes
  10. pound — a weight
  11. mark — a grade
  12. mark — a trace
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. last — final
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. suit — to fit
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. rock — a stone
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. last — to go on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com